Year 9 Unit: Do Science And Religion Agree
Years 10/11
Section 3: Evolution and/or Creation
|Session |Title |Key ideas |
|10-9 |Darwin and Evolution |Contrary to popular belief, reaction to the theory of evolution was mixed. Some theists |
| | |embraced it, while some atheists rejected it. This session explores the theory of evolution|
| | |and its implications for religion. |
|10-10 |Ways to Interpret Genesis |There is controversy over how best to interpret the early chapters of Genesis, particularly |
| | |the creation narratives. This session summarises and evaluates the most common approaches |
| | |to this seminal text. |
|10-11 |London |Genre is always the key to interpreting texts. This session invites students to deepen |
| | |their understanding of what genre is, and how it influences meaning and interpretation. |
|10-12 |How and why |Much perceived science-religion conflict can be resolved by clarifying what science and |
| | |religion are. This session explores the idea that science is mainly concerned with ‘how’ |
| | |questions, while religion primarily addresses the ‘why’ of life. |
|10-13 |Hinduism and Darwinism |The theory of evolution is only about 200 years old. Hinduism has a history going back |
| | |approximately 5 000 years. How has Hinduism (and its sister ‘Indic’ religions Jainism, |
| | |Buddhism and Sikhism) responded to Darwin’s theory? |
Teacher Background
One of the key areas of conflict and misunderstanding between science and religion concerns evolution and creation. Did life evolve, and, if so, does that contradict the creation account in Genesis? Do chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis have any relevance in light of modern science? These sessions look in detail at these and related questions.
Session 9: Darwin and Evolution
|Resources |
|Title |Type |
|‘A one-minute guide to Darwin’s theory of Evolution’ |Video (1 min, 10 seconds) |
|‘What is it with humans? |Video (4 mins, 35 seconds) |
|Investigation Sheet 3: The Evolutionary Universe |Worksheet |
|Investigation Sheet 4: Science and Religion throughout History |Worksheet |
|Note: Videos can be found on the relevant web page and within the video gallery |
Overview
This session aims to evaluate the view that Darwin’s theory of Evolution is incompatible with belief in God.
Lesson objectives
Most students should be able to:
• Explain who Charles Darwin was, and the outlines of his contribution to science;
• Be aware that the theory of evolution was and is seen by some as a direct challenge to literal interpretations of the Genesis creation story;
• Understand the view that there is no essential conflict between science and religion;
• Know that some scientists, including geneticists, such as those heard in the video, have a religious faith.
Some students should be able to:
• Understand the concepts of ‘agency’ and ‘mechanism’;
• Be aware that scientific and religious ideas change over time;
• Examine whether they think the universe can be explained solely from a scientific perspective.
Keywords
adaptation; agency; Darwin; DNA; evolution; experiment; genes; measurement; mechanism; natural selection; observation; The Origin of Species; variation
Lesson Outline
Starter
Watch the video ‘A one-minute guide to Darwin’s theory of Evolution’.
The video explains how Darwin’s observations about the natural world helped him to form his theory of evolution.
Discuss with pupils the concepts involved in evolution: species, environment, variation, adaptation, natural selection, survival. Emphasise that evolution occurs over very wide spans of time (many millions of years).
Activity 1: Science and Religion
Resources: Investigation Sheet 3, ‘The Evolutionary Universe’
Hand out copies of Investigation Sheet 3, and split the class into groups of 3 or 4. Each group should discuss what is written and tackle the questions, then give feedback to the class.
.
Activity 2: What it is to be human
Resources: Video ‘What is it with humans?’
Explain to students that the video they are about to watch suggests that human experience extends beyond what is measurable by science. Students should take notes in preparation for writing answers to the following questions:
➢ How does science explain the universe?
➢ Do you think that what it is to be human can be described in terms of physics, chemistry and biology?
➢ Are all forms of life just a collection of cells?
➢ How did Darwin change what we think about life on Earth?
➢ Explain the difference between agency and mechanism. Think of an illustration of this, other than the cup of coffee example given.
These questions could either be discussed together, or set as homework.
Plenary
Discuss with the students what current advances in science or recent scientific discoveries might prove challenging to people with religious convictions.
For example, the discovery of specific planets that could potentially sustain life.
Homework/further research
Students could be given copies of Investigation Sheet 4: ‘Science and Religion throughout History’ which illustrates other key advances in the history of science which challenged the accepted wisdom of the day (often held by the Church).
An extension task would be to suggest students choose an episode from the history of science when religion and science were (apparently) in conflict, and undertake further research into it. What were the issues at stake? Was there really conflict between the science and the religion? How was the dispute resolved?
Investigation Sheet 3: The Evolutionary Universe
[pic]
|The Evolutionary Universe (1859) |
|Charles Darwin (1809-1882) published On the Origin of Species in 1859, in which he proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection. Humans|
|evolved from less complex life forms, over millions of years, and the processes of suffering and death are essential to the development of more |
|and more complex life. This was a direct challenge to literal interpretations of the accounts of creation given in Genesis 1 and 2, which were |
|widely held at the time, and it questioned whether mankind really was the intentionally created pinnacle of God’s creation. |
1. Discuss how the natural processes of suffering and death underpin the theory of evolution.
2. Why would acceptance of this have posed a challenge to 19th century Christians?
3. As mankind was thought to be the pinnacle of God’s creation in Darwin’s time, how would evolutionary theory have been contrary to this idea?
4. How do you think the Church responded to the theory of evolution at the time?
5. How do you think the Church (Christian faiths) respond to the theory of evolution today?
Investigation Sheet 4: Science and Religion throughout History
[pic]
Apart from the theory of evolution, there have been other key advances in the history of science. Read the summaries below and for each discovery think about how it challenged religious ideas and how you think the Church might have responded.
The Heliocentric Universe (1543)
Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) published a work in the year of his death called ‘On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres’. In it he argued that the earth was not, as has previously been assumed, at the centre of the universe, but rather that the planets revolved around the sun. The sun was at the centre, not the earth (heliocentric means ‘with the sun in the middle’.) This challenged the idea that human beings are the central, most important focus of the physical universe.
The Mechanistic Universe (1687)
Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) published the ‘Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy’ in 1687, which laid out his three laws of motion, and the concept of universal gravitation. Newton demonstrated that the universe was not variable and full of unpredictability, but rather was a logical, ordered and largely predictable entity. Many things which before had been explained as the work of mysterious gods or spirits, or indeed as the unknowable work of God, were increasingly possible to understand in scientific terms.
The Quantum Universe (1917)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) published a scientific paper in 1917 which, along with his theory of relativity, helped to transform the way scientists think about the universe. In unusual circumstances (e.g. at very high speed, or at the sub-atomic level) the usual laws of nature change. Time somehow slows down as the speed of light is approached, weight increases at very high speed, and tiny particles like quarks are able to exist and not exist at the same time.
Session 10: Ways to Interpret Genesis
|Resources |
|Title |Type |
|Investigation Sheet 5: Genesis 1-2 |Worksheet |
|‘Ways to understand the Christian and Jewish and Islamic Creation Stories’ |Video (2 mins, 41 seconds) |
|‘Your quick guide to ... Creationism, Atheism and Theistic Evolution’ |Video (1 min, 40 seconds) |
|Extension Work, ‘Science and the Bible’ |Article |
|Note: Videos can be found on the relevant web page and within the video gallery |
Overview
This session aims to evaluate different ways of interpreting religious creation stories, with a particular focus on Genesis.
Lesson Objectives
Most students should be able to:
• Account for why religious creation stories are controversial in the context of the science-religion debate.
• Explain the young Earth creationist interpretation of Genesis.
• Explain the theistic evolutionary interpretation of Genesis.
• Explain the atheistic evolutionary interpretation of Genesis.
Some students should be able to:
• Explain which interpretation of Genesis they find most convincing.
Keywords
Atheistic Evolution; figurative; Genesis; literal; revelation; Theistic Evolution; Young Earth Creationism.
Lesson Outline
Starter
Following on from the previous session, begin by asking the students what role religious creation stories play in the science-religion debate. Do they support the conflict thesis? The ‘complementary’ position? Is it possible for a scientist to accept the book of Genesis as ‘true’?
Activity 1: Genesis 1-2
Resources: Text of Genesis 1-2, Investigation Sheet 5
Have the students read Genesis 1-2 very carefully, or have them listen to it being read out with the text in front of them.
Hand out Investigation Sheet 5, and ask the students to complete the questions in writing. Read through the summary together, and discuss the views expressed.
Activity 2: Interpretations of Genesis 1-2
Resources: ‘Ways to Understand the Christian, Jewish and Islamic Creation Stories’ video.
Explain to the students that the text of Genesis 1-2 is approached from different perspectives by various different groups of people. Pupils could take brief notes on three of them: Young Earth Creationists, Theistic Evolutionists and Atheistic Evolutionists.
Watch the video ‘Ways to understand the Christian, Jewish and Islamic creation stories’ on the FaradaySchools website.
Discuss which position the class finds most convincing, and why. What are the strengths and weaknesses of each of the three approaches to Genesis outlined in the video?
Plenary
Watch the video ‘Your quick guide to ...Creationism, Atheism and Theistic Evolution’ on the FaradaySchools website. This summarises the three stances looked at in Activity 2.
Write up or display the following dialogue:
Chris the Creationist: I think God created the universe in six 24 hour days about 10 000 years ago, as it says in the Bible.
Ella the Evolutionist: I don’t think that’s what Genesis is all about. It’s more about who God is, and what it means to be a human being made in His image.
Andrew the Atheist: I don’t see the point of Genesis at all. It’s just an outdated fairy tale.
Take suggestions from the class for continuations of the discussion, perhaps offering a prize for the best contribution.
Homework/Further research
Particularly able students could be shown the Extension Work, Ernest Lucas’ article ‘Science and the Bible: Are They Incompatible?’, and asked to summarise and evaluate his argument. This can be read on the website or downloaded as a Word document.
Alternatively, or in addition, students could write a speech proposing one of the three positions on Genesis 1-2 explored during the session, ready to be delivered to the class next lesson.
Investigation Sheet 5: Genesis 1-2
[pic]
A. Questions
1. In two columns, outline the ‘order of creation’ in the two creation accounts (Genesis 1:1 – 2:3, and Genesis 2:4 – 2:25).
2. What are the implications of your findings in question 1 for the claim that Genesis 1-2 is a scientific account of the origins of the world?
3. What other features of the text itself might suggest that Genesis 1-2 is not meant to be a scientific account?
4. If each account were rather to be viewed as a ‘story with a religious or philosophical meaning’, what are the ideas being presented in each story about the following topics?
- God
- The created world
- Human beings
Answer this question in two columns, ‘story 1’ and ‘story 2’.
B. Summary
Initial assumption (thesis): Genesis 1-2 is intended to be a piece of scientific literature giving a factual account of the origins of the universe. However, modern science has shown that the Genesis account is incorrect in its scientific claims. Therefore it is redundant as a source of guidance for religious believers today.
Conflicting textual evidence (antithesis): the text has many features which suggest that it is not intended to be a piece of scientific literature. Rather than being a factual account of what happened during the creation, the writer of Genesis is more concerned with religious and philosophical questions about the nature of God, human beings and planet earth.
New approach (synthesis): Genesis 1-3 is still a relevant source of guidance to theists today – not on a scientific level, but on a philosophical or metaphysical level. This was the original intention of the author of the text, and this is an approach which has characterised Christian interpretations of the text from the earliest days of the Christian Church’s existence. St Augustine, one of the greatest Christian thinkers, wrote in the 4th century AD: ‘Perhaps [the Bible] in its customary style is speaking with the limitations of human language in addressing men of limited understanding…The narrative of the inspired writer brings the matter down to the capacity of children.’
C. Extension/Homework
‘Genesis 1-2 offers a scientific account of the origins of the universe, and, having been proven wrong by recent advances in science, is now useless as a sources of truth for theists.’
Do you agree? Ensure you consider more than one point of view in your answer, and you must consider some of the religious and philosophical ideas which the text does contain.
Session 11: London
|Resources |
|Title |Type |
|Investigation Sheet 6: Interpreting Texts |Worksheet |
|Note: Videos can be found on the relevant web page and within the video gallery |
Overview
In the last session the students were invited to consider different interpretations of Genesis 1-2, focussing on the question of genre. This session develops this learning by making the importance of genre for interpretation even more explicit.
Lesson Objectives
Most students should be able to:
• Explain the difference genre makes to the interpretation of a text.
Some students should be able to:
• Explain what genre they believe Genesis 1-2 to be, and how that influences what they understand it to mean.
Keywords
fiction; genre; interpretation; literature; poetry.
Lesson Outline
Starter
Have the students come up with as many different literary genres as possible, and compose a rough table on the board with the name of the different genres on the left, and how they ought to be read on the right. E.g. poetry generally ought to be read metaphorically and impressionistically, reportage ought to be read as a factual account of what happened, while fiction is generally read for enjoyment and its insights into human nature and behaviour.
Activity 1: Interpreting Texts
Resources: Investigation Sheet 6
Hand out Investigation Sheet 6, Interpreting Texts, or read the three texts out to the students. Discuss the questions together.
Draw out the central point that genre is the key to understanding literature. Different types of writing need to be read in different ways. A poem about London is very different from a factual description of London, which in turn is different from the type of language found in a letter. While poems need to be read figuratively, factual writing generally needs to be interpreted literally. A key question to ask about creation stories is how they should be read – are creation stories more like poetry, or are they more like factual, ‘journalistic’ accounts of what happened?
Plenary
Display Genesis 1-2. In light of today’s lesson, what genre do the students think it is? Have any of them changed their minds as to its genre? Why do they think there is a degree of controversy among Christians as to what genre it is?
Homework/Further research
Students could be asked to find a text for themselves, identify its genre, and be ready to explain how understanding the genre influences how it is to be interpreted. E.g. knowing that a fantasy novel is fictional rather than historical is crucial to interpreting it correctly.
Investigation Sheet 6: Interpreting Texts
[pic]
|‘London’ by Jim McDonald (2007) |‘London’ (adapted Wikipedia article) |
| | |
|London |London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, the largest |
|I walk every day under your heavy skies |metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the |
|the grey lid that covers your people. |European Union. |
|I walk your filthy streets and step past | |
|chicken bones dog excrement vomit urine stains |London is a leading global city, home to the headquarters of more than 100 of |
|cigarette ends empty Stella cans pizza boxes |Europe's 500 largest companies. It has the most international visitors of any |
|all discarded by your selfish people |city in the world. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration |
|who treat your crumbling streets with contempt. |of higher education institutions in Europe. |
|London | |
|your pall of brown smog covers me |London has a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, and more than |
|yet your cars get bigger |300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. |
|minds of the drivers smaller | |
|every year. |The London Underground network is the oldest underground railway network in the|
|London |world and the most extensive after the Shanghai Metro. |
|what have you left to offer? | |
|You welcome the poor and treat them like animals | |
|you revel in your insular cockney aggression. | |
|London | |
|your Empire is gone | |
|your docks are empty | |
|your trading floors filled with vacuous egotists | |
|intent on grabbing what they can | |
|your football grounds full of glory-seeking merchandise-clad sheep | |
|desperate to see a team of foreigners provide some glory. | |
|London | |
|try a smile | |
|instead of a snarl. | |
|London | |
|try to walk for once | |
|instead of pumping out more CO2 from your 3 litre petrol engines. | |
|Londoners | |
|stop gorging yourselves | |
|stop furrowing your brows | |
|and open your eyes. | |
| |Letter (fictional) to The Times newspaper |
| | |
| |Dear Editor, |
| | |
| |I have lived in the London Borough of Lambeth for over thirty years. Whilst |
| |honoured and proud to be standing as a local councillor in the coming |
| |elections, I feel increasing shame and irritation at the litter-strewn state of|
| |our streets. I have only to look out of the window to the pavement in front of|
| |my house, to see lots of unsightly samples of someone else’s litter. I won’t |
| |offend your readers by listing all the horrible items here. I call on the |
| |people of Lambeth and other London boroughs to get out there and clean up the |
| |streets. I will be out there this weekend with my rubber gloves and bin bags; |
| |come and join me! |
| | |
| |Yours, |
| | |
| |Hatty Jones |
Questions
1. What is Jim McDonald’s poem saying about London?
2. What is the Wikipedia article saying about London?
3. How can we tell that the above two texts have different purposes?
4. What is the letter to The Times saying about London?
5. Compare the language of the poem with the language of the letter. Think about the imagery used and the facts stated. Finish by giving your view on the purpose of each piece of writing.
6. Which of the three pieces of writing has made most impact on you? Explain why.
Session 12: How and Why
|Resources |
|Title |Type |
|‘Science tells you how and religion tells you why’ |Video (2 mins) |
|Investigation Sheet 7: How and Why |Worksheet |
|Note: Videos can be found on the relevant web page and within the video gallery |
Overview
Some people argue that science and religion address fundamentally different types of question. While science is concerned with the ‘how’ of life, i.e. natural processes and their consequences, religion is concerned with the ‘why’, i.e. meaning and value. Taking this approach would suggest that Genesis 1-2 is a religious text concerned with philosophical and metaphysical questions, rather than a scientific text concerned with how and when life began.
Lesson Objectives
Most students should be able to:
• Explain the difference between ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions.
• Explain the perspective that science is mainly concerned with understanding natural processes, while religion explores issues of meaning and value.
Some students should be able to:
• Evaluate the how/why approach – are there any areas of life where science does in fact address meaning and value, and religion natural processes?
Keywords
how; nature; meaning; purpose; value; why.
Lesson Outline
Starter
Discuss how students would respond to the following scenarios:
• You are the managing director of a company which manufactures bicycles. One day, numerous complaints start flooding in about the fact that the paint is peeling off the frames of brand new bikes. Having recently changed the composition of the frames which you have been manufacturing, and also the composition of the paint you have been spraying them with, you suspect that these recent changes are behind the problem. But how would you go about verifying this?
• You have recently felt troubled about the whole question of human mortality. Given that everyone dies, you have been wondering what the point of life is. Isn’t it all meaningless in the end? Isn’t the world eventually going to be engulfed by the sun as it burns out? Won’t everything that anyone ever achieves eventually be forgotten? These thoughts and questions are troubling you. How might you go about addressing them?
Draw out the simple point that in the first instance a scientific solution is required. Investigations need to be carried out into the materials concerned, and why they might be reacting in the way that they are. It is a ‘how’ question: how does substance X in the frame react with substance Y in the paint such that the paint is peeling off, and how can I prevent that from happening? By contrast the second scenario involves a ‘why’ question, indeed arguably the greatest why question of all – why am I here? What is the meaning of life? While students might suggest what sound like ‘scientific’ approaches to this scenario (e.g. see a counsellor, read Richard Dawkins’ books etc), it should be emphasised that even ‘scientific’ sources would have to address the question at a philosophical or existential level, i.e. they would have to give a ‘why’ answer to a ‘why’ question. There is no experiment or investigation that could be constructed which would solve the problem. And in reality, many people around the world turn to religious texts, traditions and teachings to answer these ultimate questions of meaning. Even in our largely non-religious culture, it may be that a person’s response to the question of ultimate meaning is shaped more by religious traditions and concepts than is generally realised.
In summary, it is possible to define science and religion in terms of the different sorts of questions they address. Where science is concerned mainly with process (‘how do things work?’), religion deals with meaning and value (‘why do I exist?’).
Activity 1: Science tells you how and religion tells you why
Resources: Video, ‘Science tells you how and religion tells you why’ (2 mins)
Explain that you are going to watch a short video in which two eminent scientists explain how they understand the difference between science and religion in Christianity and Islam respectively. Ask the students to be ready to summarise both speakers’ main points, and to respond to them.
Watch the video, and discuss whether or not the students agree with the featured speakers.
Activity 2: How or Why?
Resources: Investigation Sheet 7, ‘How or Why?’
Hand out investigation sheet 7, and have the students work in pairs to decide whether the featured questions are scientific or religious ones. Discuss together.
Plenary
Read out the text under the ‘How and Why’ subheading on the relevant Faraday Schools website page (begins underneath the video). This text proposes that the general agreement in our society that matter is good, and that we are not surrounded by multiple deities (e.g. the sun and the moon), is the result (at least partly, and arguably primarily) of the teaching of Genesis 1-2, handed down through the generations (even to those who do not believe in God) as a sort of cultural memory. Do the students agree with this assessment? If it is correct, how might this claim strengthen the view that Genesis is meant to be read as a religious text, rather than a scientific one?
Homework/Further Research
Using the Faraday Schools website, or any other appropriate sources, the students could investigate what ‘elevated prose’ is, and attempt to write 8 or 10 lines in this genre themselves.
Investigation Sheet 7: How or Why?
[pic]
A. Rate each of the following questions as ‘scientific’, ‘religious’ or ‘both’, and be ready to justify your decision.
|Question |Scientific (S), |
| |Religious (R) or both |
| |(B)? |
|What is the smallest unit of matter? | |
|Should I get married, and, if so, who should I marry? | |
|Is there an afterlife? | |
|Does God exist? | |
|What is the safest way to build a skyscraper? | |
|When did life begin? | |
|Why did life begin? | |
|How did life begin? | |
|What causes the force of gravity? | |
|Should I love my neighbour as myself? | |
B. When you have finished, write some ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions of your own below. Try to come up with three of each type, and then, if you still have time, see if you can think of any which might qualify as both scientific and religious.
Session 13: Hinduism and Darwin
|Resources |
|Title |Type |
|‘Hinduism and Science’ |Video (1 min) |
|Note: Videos can be found on the relevant web page and within the video gallery |
Overview
The theory of evolution is only about 200 years old. Hinduism has a history going back approximately 5 000 years. How has Hinduism (and its sister ‘Indic’ religions Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism) responded to Darwin’s theory?
Lesson Objectives
Most students should be able to:
• Explain how Hindus have responded to the theory of evolution.
Some students should be able to:
• Compare and contrast the Hindu response to Darwinism with that of Christianity.
Keywords
Hinduism; mental modes; reincarnation; transmigration.
Lesson Outline
Starter
Discuss what the class know about Hinduism, and summarise its core beliefs. What does the class think Hindus have made of the theory of evolution?
Activity 1: Hinduism and Science
Resources: Video, ‘Hinduism and Science’ (1 min)
Show the video, and then discuss/take notes on the following questions:
• What do Hindus believe is the relationship between human beings and the animal kingdom?
• Do Hindus believe that the human body has evolved, and is continuing to evolve?
• What do Hindus believe is the central source of individual identity, and how is that passed on through the ages?
Assign the students some further reading on Hinduism and science, perhaps splitting them into groups and having each group present on a particular aspect of the broader question, e.g. Hinduism and the Big Bang, Hindu Scriptures and modern science, Hinduism and the evidence for reincarnation.
Plenary
Presentations (as above).
Homework/Further Research
Further research into presentations.
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